The present invention relates to a cooler assembly of the type which is self-contained and self-supporting and is adapted to be used for the cooled storage of beverages, such as canned beverages. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an ice-cooled storage assembly in which the containers to be cooled are packed in ice cubes or other particulate ice, or ice bags that are frozen with ready access to the interior of the cooled vessel to retrieve a selected can of a cooled beverage.
Storage containers of the general type described above are known in the art, and such containers have taken various shapes and physical forms. However, prior art storage coolers are not without objectionable features. For example, in many of the prior art structures, as the ice melts, the cans become inundated with water. This water often has the effect of causing separation of the can labels from the containers themselves rendering the "blank" cans essentially unsalable. The accumulation of the water as a medium in which the cans lie has the undesirable effect of impairing the degree of sanitization achievable and maintainable.
It is, therefore, a principal aim of the present invention to provide a simple storage cooler for cans and the like and in which many of the shortcomings of prior art coolers are obviated.